The Richmond blanket came about thanks to Knit Night at Holland Road Yarn Company. As soon as Spud & Chloe Sweater arrived, a few regulars snapped up skeins to knit blankets with. Which set my knitty imagination whirring, thinking of drape, and squishiness, and stripes. Then there’s the daydream that wouldn’t go away: snuggling under it on the couch watching The West Wing and, of course, knitting.

As an excuse, I decided that ‘shop knitting’ needed to be created. Shop Knitting is a project that is easily picked up and put down in between talking to customers, answering the phone, emails and all other interruptions that happen in a shop. That’s all it was, really: an excuse. Honestly, I just wanted to knit this blanket.